| British Columbia Institute of Technology | |
|---|---|
Coat of Arms of the BC Institute of Technology |
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| Motto | Quisque dominus summi |
| Motto in English | To each their highest attainment |
| Established | 1960 |
| Type | Public |
| Endowment | C$13,090,000[1] |
| Chairperson | Maureen Enser |
| President | Don Wright |
| Admin. staff | 2,262[2] |
| Students | 16,625[2] |
| Location | Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada |
| Campus | Suburb |
| Colours | Blue Orange |
| Nickname | BCIT |
| Website | bcit.ca |
The British Columbia Institute of Technology (also referred to as BCIT), is a public, coeducational, academic institution of higher education in Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada. The polytechnic has five campuses located in the Metro Vancouver region, with the main campus in Burnaby. There is also the aerospace campus in Richmond, the marine campus in North Vancouver, the Great Northern Way, and Downtown campus in Vancouver.[3] It is provincially chartered through legislation in the College and Institute Act.[4]
BCIT was first established as the British Columbia Vocational School in 1960, with an initial enrollment of 498 students.[5] As of 2009, enrollment has grown to 16,625 full-time students, and 31,599 part-time students.[2] Since its foundation, the institution has been home to over 125,000 alumni.[6]
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In 1960, the British Columbia Vocational School was (BCVS) established in Burnaby, opening at Willingdon and Canada Way. It was the first permanent trades school of its kind in British Columbia; its programs included carpentry, welding and aircraft maintenance.[7] A year later, plans were announced to establish the British Columbia Institute of Technology on adjacent land. It was the first provincial institution dedicated to advanced technical education in BC, and its principal was named in 1962. It offered education in the areas of engineering, business and health, enrolling 498 students in 1964. In 1966, it celebrated its first graduates.[5]
By 1975, enrolled students grew to 3,200 students. BCIT's first Board of Governors was formed in 1974, and in 1977, the school established a campus on Sea Island. In 1979, the BCIT Alumni Association was formed. A year later, the BCVS and the Haney Educational Centre amalgamated to form the Pacific Vocational Institute (PVI).[5]
In 1986, PVI merged with BCIT, along with its satellite facilities such as the Aircraft Maintenance Centre at Vancouver International Airport. Legislative changes came in 1989 when its mandate was broadened to include applied research, and the Technology Centre, a facility for multi-disciplinary research and development, was established. BCIT would be the province's focal point for applied technology transfer.[5]
In 1994, the Pacific Marine Training Institute amalgamated with BCIT, along with its nautical engineering programs. The first Bachelor of Technology degree in Environmental Engineering was awarded in 1996. 1997 marked the opening of the Downtown Vancouver campus to accommodate expansion of BCIT's part-time programs.[5]
BCIT's Arms, Supporters, Flag and Badge were registered with the Canadian Heraldic Authority on February 29, 1996.[8]
BCIT, UBC, SFU, and ECUAD jointly opened the Great Northern Way Campus in 2002. In 2004, the number of students grew to more than 48,000, and the polytechnic status of the institution was enshrined in provincial legislation. A year later, a Research Services Office was opened to further support applied research.[5]
BCIT opened a new 300,000-square-foot (28,000 m2) Aerospace Technology Campus in 2007, at the gateway to Vancouver International Airport for its aerospace programs.[5]
The British Columbia Institute of Technology has five campuses across the Metro Vancouver area. BCIT's main campus is located in the City of Burnaby. It operates an aerospace technology campus in the City of Richmond, and a marine campus is located in the City of North Vancouver. BCIT also runs two campuses, the Downtown Vancouver campus, and the Great Northern Way campus, in East Vancouver. Furthermore, there are students who attend or conduct studies virtually; 8,310 students are distance education learners.
The main BCIT Campus is located on Willingdon Avenue in the City of Burnaby. It includes a large library, a gym and sports field, many lecture rooms, shops and computer labs as well as student services and administration offices. The Centre for Applied Research and Innovation is a notable recent campus addition.
The British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT) Aerospace Technology Campus (ATC), located near Vancouver International Airport (YVR) in Richmond. It offers aircraft maintenance engineering programs in avionics, maintenance, structures, aircraft gas turbine (jet engine) overhaul training and repair and aircraft mechanical component training programs.
BCIT also offers commercial pilot training, as well as airport operations training program for those pursuing a career in airport management. Training is conducted at the 285,000-square-foot (26,500 m2) Aerospace Technology Campus, opened in September 2007.
The RBC Foundation Aviation Library at the Aerospace Technology Campus holds one of the largest collections of aviation resources in Western Canada, and has become a centre of learning and study for aviation students, staff and the broader aerospace industry in the region
Known previously as PMTI (The Pacific Marine Training Institute) it is now sometimes referred to as BMC (BCIT Marine Campus). The institute offers a variety of training in the marine field including cadet programs such as the 4 year diploma in Nautical Sciences and the Marine Engineer training program. The campus is located in North Vancouver on the water a short distance from Lonsdale Quay. The school is open all year round except for major holidays.
The predominant areas of study at the downtown campus are business and media, computing and information, and international student entry programs. It was opened to allow for a greater number of students in part-time studies.
The Great Northern Way Campus[9] (GNWC) is a university campus combining the strengths of the British Columbia Institute of Technology, Emily Carr University of Art + Design, Simon Fraser University and the University of British Columbia. These four schools have committed to build an integrated and unique centre of teaching, learning, research, and entrepreneurship.
The GNWC offers courses including BCIT’s Trades & Apprenticeship program, and Green Roof Technology courses. At the Campus’ Centre for Digital Media, GNWC offers a Masters of Digital Media Program as well as a series of professional development courses.[10]
BCIT has six Schools providing full-time and part-time studies in a variety of subjects.
BCIT also has a Technology Centre which undertakes and coordinates applied research, and provides technology transfer and commercialization assistance.
BCIT has a unique education philosophy which sets it apart from typical post-secondary institutions. BCIT focuses on the practical aspects of studies, as opposed to theoretical. Thus, the students get an exceptional amount of hands-on experience while in school. For example, the school has[11]:
In addition to numerous other labs, these all help provide students with plenty of experience for when they begin to work in their respective industries. Also, full-time BCIT students have a much larger course load than found at other universities and colleges; most full-time students have over 20 hours of school a week.
In 2006 BCIT became the first location in Canada for a Confucius Institute [12]
In June 2010, the Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board (CEAB) has granted national accreditation to BCIT's Civil Engineering Bachelor of Engineering program. This represents a milestone as the first accreditation of a non-university Civil Engineering program in Canada.[13]
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